Chapter 39: A Fairy Tale (2)

How long had we been running? I endured and endured the searing pain that made my mind hazy.

Since Mika and Kenzaki had prevented any pursuing forces from catching up, I thought we could escape without major problems if we just avoided encountering any other Arius forces.

“Sigh…ah…..sigh…. They’re really… coming endlessly…”

“That power…..and that figure that doesn’t show any reaction even when we fight…

Are those really human…? Or….”

The Justina Saint Society, the beings that protected Trinity’s precepts hundreds of years ago, were for some reason standing in front of us, blocking our way.

Their numbers easily exceeded hundreds, and each individual was strong and powerful.

I, Hanekawa, and the other members of the Justice Task Force, who had not yet recovered from the injuries caused by the collapse of the Old Cathedral, could do nothing but protect Sensei and Nagisa and continue to flee.

Thankfully, Sister Hinata always carried heavy weaponry, so we were barely able to keep up in terms of firepower. But that too has a limit. Now is the time for a decision.

“Hanekawa, Nagisa, I can’t hold out for long either, but still… I’ll buy us some time here…”

“Sora…”

“Shut up… I was the bodyguard you appointed through stubbornness and sophistry in the first place. Don’t even think about dying here…”

[Sorry, but I can’t overlook that statement either…]

Wow… I’m blessed… I never received this kind of treatment in my past life… To think I’d receive it here… No… I was already receiving it long ago… I’m sorry, but here, I guess…

The worst method I can think of. If I become the target, I’ll spend the rest of my life cursing the world. That’s the only way… The moment I raise my relatively unharmed left hand…

-Fwee, Drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrt!-

“This way!”

A large barrage of bullets unfolded with a characteristic sound, wiping out dozens of Saint Society members. The voice that followed was familiar, the leader of Gehenna’s Prefect Team.

“Prefect Team Leader…!”

“Justice Task Force! Send Sensei this way! There’s no time!”

“….Understood… Sora…? Please take care of Sensei and Nagisa.”

“No… I also…”

“We don’t have the luxury of engaging while worrying about someone heavily injured. But even with those severe injuries, if it’s you, if it’s those wings of yours, you can protect Sensei and Nagisa… Please.

If Sensei and Nagisa fall…. Trinity’s leadership will be completely wiped out. Mika is here, but even Mika will reach her limit eventually, so… Please.”

Why… Why is everyone asking me… No, don’t think about it. Hanekawa has more combat experience than I do. Thinking about it again, it’s a logical reason. Let’s not doubt it.

“Yes…”

“Sensei, hurry. There’s no time!”

Nagisa, Sensei, and I left the scene, and everyone else began to defend this place.

“Prefect Team Leader! Please protect Sensei and everyone!”

As we distanced ourselves, I heard Hanekawa’s shout from afar. It was a story I came up with later… but now, at this moment, everyone put aside their deep emotions and started running towards one goal.

We ran for a long time again.

-Fwee, Drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrt!-

“Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!”

Forgetting even the throbbing and burning pain in my right hand, I just pulled the trigger again and again. It feels like my wrist will break, but I can still endure it.

“Just hold on a little longer, Sensei and Tea Party Host. Once we get out of here, a pickup vehicle will be waiting….”

“H, Here they are. Prefect Team Leader Hina and the dangerous individual Sora!”

Again, from afar, from a distance visible to the naked eye, Saint Society and Arius forces were approaching.

“They’re coming so relentlessly….”

“Haha… Really… It’s so unfair…”

The endless engagement, the Saint Society that keeps pushing in without any sign of decreasing, the first to reach the limit was the Prefect Team Leader.

“Gehenna’s Prefect Team Leader. Down.”

“F, Finally…. Even with those wounds, she made it this far….”

“Do you still think you can resist? Sora? And Sensei and the Tea Party?”

[You’re the Arius Squad…?]

I’m also close to my limit. The woman with the hat and the woman with the mask from before, yes, Senior Azusa said they were Jomae Saori and Hakari Atsuko.

Next to them would be Tsuchinaga Hiyori and Imashino Misaki… They are well-trained soldiers. Their teamwork is perfect, and their individual skills are also outstanding.

Even in the previous 2-on-1 fight, I barely managed to push them back using advantageous conditions and a large amount of weapons.

But this time, there are four of them, and in addition, many Saint Society and Arius forces remain. On the other hand, I’m battered and bruised, and my weapons and ammunition are almost depleted.

Checkmate.

There was no way to retreat. Fortunately, Sensei and Saori began a private conversation, buying us a little time. If we wait a little longer… It will be ready.

“We have signed this treaty here, at the Old Cathedral of Tonggong, on behalf of Trinity.”

[What do you mean?]

“It means that we, the Arius Squad, have become the new armed group that protects the treaty in the name of paradise, the Eden Treaty Organization.

This was originally our duty. The rightful right that we should have exercised at the First Council.

But Trinity trampled on it arbitrarily. Do you have anything to say? Tea Party Host?”

“Tsk….”

The woman broke off the private conversation and spoke to Nagisa. It was the old rift between Arius and Trinity that existed in the distant past. Trinity ignored it, and Arius did not forget it.

But at the same time, Nagisa does not know their pain. She does not know the feelings when they were oppressed. It is only passed down to a very small number of people as knowledge, so she cannot empathize with them.

“Phew… Yeah, you wouldn’t have anything to say… Because it’s your fault for thoroughly defining us as a conflict target and thoroughly suppressing us.

So now, we, the Arius Squad, will redefine the conflict target with the authority of the ETO.

Gehenna and Trinity are the elements that violate the Eden Treaty. The targets that must be eliminated.

You will see the hatred of hundreds of years since the First Council. Our hatred that has continued for that long time.

So… We’ll deal with you first, the Tea Party Host and Sensei of Schale, the heads of the conflict targets.”

“Uwaaaaaaa!!!!!!”

“As if we’d let you!!!”

There was no need to listen to any more words. The woman aimed a gun at Sensei. A rocket launcher was aimed at Nagisa.

I spread my left wing, which still had sensation, and my right wing, which was slowly losing sensation, enduring the pain.

-Bang! Bang! Bang!,

Boom!-

The explosion of the rocket launcher and gunshots resound. My right wing loses strength and droops towards the ground.

“?! You can still move! Sorasaki Hina! Yumetsubasa Sora!!”

“Wait?! What are you doing?!”

[Hina?!]

The Prefect Team Leader throws her body and lifts Nagisa and Sensei.

“Sena!!!! This way!!!”

-Screeeeeech!-

The Emergency Medicine Club’s ambulance arrived with the sound of tire friction.

“Wha…What?!”

“Sora?!”

[Sora!!!]

I grab the Prefect Team Leader’s collar and throw her towards the Emergency Medicine Club’s ambulance. Sensei, Nagisa, and the Prefect Team Leader are thrown into the patient seat of the ambulance.

The Emergency Medicine Club leader quickly closed the ambulance door, as if understanding, and the ambulance started speeding away with the sound of tire friction again.

“As if we’d let you escape!”

-Fwee, Drrrrrrrrrrr…Tick Tick!-

I pick up the Prefect Team Leader’s weapon, the Finale Destroyer, which had been dropped on the ground, and fire it in a barrage to block Saori aiming at the ambulance.

I don’t have much ammunition left, and my stamina is close to its limit, so I have to use all my strength to block that shot.

It was an act close to a last-ditch effort, but… somehow, I succeeded in getting Sensei and Nagisa out of the battlefield.

“Tsk…. You’re resisting even to this point…”

“Unfortunately… Giving up isn’t in my nature…”

I put down the Destroyer, which has no ammunition left, on the ground. A feeling of exhaustion spreads throughout my body, and I can’t put strength into it properly.

“What can you do with that? Your wings that you boasted about are already a mess, and your mystery seems to be bottoming out… so… what’s left?”

“You call… this… mystery… Hahaha…”

“Stop your useless resistance. We have the ability to drop your head to the ground and pursue Sensei and the Host again.”

Yes, I guess I don’t have any more means to use… I don’t…

“Do you know…? I… was always… not alone…?

Even when it was hard… Even when it was the most painful… Even when I was saving someone precious to me, not myself… There was always… someone… by my side…

Right…?”

“It’s futile. Even if you were always there, there’s no one to help you now. Enough chit-chat… Crumble obediently.”

“Haa!”

“You son of a b*tch!”

-Kwaaaaaang!!!-

Leaving only the minimum amount of energy, I slam the ground with as much force as possible. A crater forms on the ground, and dust flies up, forming a smokescreen.

It’s not over yet. The reason I left the minimum amount of energy, I squeeze out my almost bottomed-out mystery.

Yes, it’s about time for Trinity’s pride and joy to be ready. Mika would have already cleared away all those insignificant things and finished all the preparations… and…

Mika would know I’m here! She’d know what I want… So I decide to do this.

I fire Daedalus towards the sky.

-Taaaaaaang!!!-

A red flash, a red line is engraved in the sky. My consciousness, which I was barely holding onto, began to fade… A familiar figure snatches me and leaves the battlefield. My consciousness ended here.

-Boom! Boom! Boom!-

“Leader, it’s support fire from the Tea Party’s artillery battery. Their response is faster than scheduled.

Their aim is even accurate. With that just now, a significant number of the Saint Society lost their substance.

50mm mortar fire from the opposite side. The reserve unit’s Prefect Team grenadiers have begun to respond.

It’s a faster response than I thought. To do this without Hina…”

“Yumetsubasa Sora… The last shot was… to inform the coordinates…?”

That woman who hinders us until the end, thinking and implementing means to put us in a corner until the very end without giving up.

The reserve forces of Gehenna and Trinity, who were waiting outside the Old Cathedral, were also confirmed to be moving! Soon, the standard tanks of both academies will arrive here.”

“…We’ve secured the Saint Society.

Now, the next mission is to infiltrate Trinity’s autonomous region through the underground passage and sweep away Trinity first.

The Saint Society can be replenished quickly anyway. We move quickly.”

“Gehenna without Hina is next, I suppose. No objections, Leader.

We’ve infiltrated Trinity many times, and Gehenna without Hina is a rabble.

So now, we wait in the underground passage until that wooden doll secures the promised tactical weapon. Right?”

Originally, we were also going to stay here and steadily reduce the number of remaining Trinity and Gehenna forces…

but since our coordinates have been exposed by that woman, it’s a waste to use consumable forces here. Anyway, the Saint Society can be replenished at any time.

Therefore, we leave only the Saint Society here and temporarily retreat. Well, the Saint Society alone is enough force. We wait for a while.

“Now, Saint Society. Eliminate those conflict targets for our ETO!”

The Saint Society’s forces begin to move. It would be impossible if not at this time. Everyone retreats.

-Bang! Bang! Bang! Crash! Kwaaaaaang!!!-

“Kieeeek… Khhhhh… I’ll kill you!!!!!”

It happened in an instant. Trinity’s greatest threat, Trinity’s strategic weapon, was approaching, defeating many Saint Society members.

“They dealt with that many Saint Society… just the two of them? Then the person leading this bombardment is…”

“Misono Mika… I see… That woman is commanding this bombardment…”

It seems that we will also have to be prepared for considerable losses.